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Built India-first, not adapted for it

The Shopify alternative withnative UPIandWhatsApp Commerce— not another app subscription.

Shopify was built for the US and adapted for India through paid apps. Every rupee an Indian merchant pays for a UPI gateway app, a WhatsApp Commerce add-on, or a GST invoicing plugin is a rupee simplestores never charges — because they ship natively, day one.

Migrate from Shopify — freeSee annual subscription
The real cost of "cheap" Shopify plans

What Shopify's India app-store bill actually looks like.

Cost lineShopify (India)simplestores
Base plan₹1,650/mo (Basic)Included
UPI payment gateway app₹850/mo + txn feesNative — ₹0 app fee
WhatsApp Commerce app₹2,300/mo (BSP add-on)Native — built in
GST invoicing app₹1,600/moNative — built in
COD OTP verification app₹900/moNative — built in
Total, Year 1 (12 months)≈ ₹86,400+published plan pricing

App pricing sourced from each vendor's public Shopify App Store listing as of Feb 2026 and may change without notice. Illustrative estimate for a typical India-market storefront running all four categories of add-on apps.

Native UPI. No gateway app, no extra fee.

Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm intents work at checkout out of the box. Most Shopify India stores need a separate paid UPI app just to unlock what simplestores ships by default.

  • Zero app-store fee for UPI
  • COD with OTP verification built in
  • GST-compliant invoicing on every order
ShopifyPaid UPI app required
Extra ₹850/mo + per-transaction fee
simplestoresNative, included
UPI intent checkout works day one
WhatsApp order alert
"New order #1042 · published plan pricing· 2 items · Paid via UPI. Ship by tomorrow 6pm."

Fires automatically to the merchant's own WhatsApp — no BSP subscription, no third-party routing.

WhatsApp Commerce, built in — not bolted on.

Order alerts, abandoned-cart nudges, and a synced product catalog run natively over WhatsApp. Shopify merchants in India typically pay a BSP (Business Solution Provider) subscription — often ₹2,000+/month — just to get similar functionality.

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FAQ

Answers before you ask.

Is simplestores really cheaper than Shopify for an Indian merchant?
Yes — Shopify's India merchants typically stack 4-5 paid apps (UPI gateway, WhatsApp Commerce/BSP, GST invoicing, COD OTP) on top of the base plan. simplestores ships all four natively at no extra app cost, on a one-time annual subscription starting at published plan pricing.
Does simplestores support UPI without a third-party gateway app?
Yes. UPI intent (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm) is a native checkout option — no separate payment-app subscription required, unlike Shopify where India-specific UPI flows usually need a paid app from the App Store.
What is WhatsApp Commerce on simplestores?
Order alerts, abandoned-cart recovery, and a synced product catalog run natively over WhatsApp Business — no BSP (Business Solution Provider) subscription needed, unlike Shopify's WhatsApp integrations which route through a paid third-party app.
Can I migrate my existing Shopify store to simplestores for free?
Yes — product catalog, images, and customer data migration is handled free of charge as part of onboarding. Most merchants are live on simplestores within 15-30 minutes.
Free migration from Shopify

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